Deadline for NFL to Release WFT Probe Documents to Congress Passes

Following inflammatory emails that were unearthed during the NFL’s investigation into workplace conditions for employees of the Washington Football Team (WFT) leaking out and getting Jon Gruden fired, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform asked the league to turn over an extensive amount of documents and set a deadline of November 4.

That deadline has come and gone and it is unclear what, if any, information the NFL shared with the committee, according to The Washington Post.

Prior to the deadline, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi told FOX 5 DC that he hoped the league would comply with the committee’s request. “There are tools at Congress’ disposal to compel the production of documents and live testimony, all that being said, I hope the NFL cooperates and shares the information that we requested with us so we can really get to finding out the answers to the questions that we have,” he said.

As Congressman Krishnamoorthi alluded to, the government has a few options to compel the league to meet the committee’s request if the NFL did not make a good-faith effort to comply by the now-passed deadline.

The committee has the option to convene a hearing on the league’s handling of its investigation into the WFT and could also use its subpoena power to get witnesses to testify, similar to the way MLB players like Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco Rafael Palmeiro testified about their knowledge of PED use in pro baseball at a 2005 hearing.

According to Krishnamoorthi, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform has already been approached by people with knowledge of the situation who want to testify under oath. “We have had a number of people call us — people with special knowledge related to this case — basically asking to testify,” Krishnamoorthi told The Post this week. “So I think it’s fair to say that there is great interest in what happens.”

Agreed.